Fuel prices for international flights have increased by 122 percent since the war in the Middle East began, leading to about 1.7 percent of flights being canceled next month, data from CPC Corp, Taiwan and the Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) showed yesterday.
The Legislative Yuan’s Transportation Committee yesterday invited Minister of Transportation and Communications Chen Shih-kai (陳世凱) to present on the government’s response to the war in the Middle East and rising gasoline prices.
As of April 1, fuel prices for international flights had reached US$1.2816 per liter, an increase of 122 percent compared with pre-Iran war levels, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said, citing data from CPC Corp.
Photo: Tsai Yun-jun, Taipei Times
Fuel prices for domestic flights had risen to NT$44.2 (US$1.4) per liter, up 116 percent, significantly increasing airlines’ operating costs, the ministry said.
While fuel supply from CPC Corp and Formosa Petrochemical Corp remains normal, some airports in other countries — including Myanmar, Vietnam and the Philippines — have imposed refueling restrictions, resulting in a sharp increase in fuel costs for airlines, it said.
Airlines are adjusting operations by reducing and consolidating flights to save costs, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Wan Mei-ling (萬美玲) said.
An average of 7.3 flights per week had been canceled this month as of Monday, accounting for about 0.2 percent of total flights, Wan said, citing data from the CAA.
Cancelations next month have risen to 52.6 flights per week, or 1.7 percent of total flights, and flight cancelations in July and August currently average one flight per week, she said.
These cancelations would have a significant impact on international travel during the upcoming peak season, she said, asking if it could be guaranteed that flights would not be further reduced.
While the ministry cannot mandate that airlines maintain flights, it would monitor their challenges, provide assistance and maintain communication to help minimize reductions, Chen said.
Meanwhile, the ministry told the committee that the base price for highway bus transportation is expected to rise starting next month and that it would provide NT$120 million in subsidies, while the subsidy amount for taxis would remain unchanged.
Subsidies have been a backup plan available to bus operators should diesel prices meet the standard for a base price hike, the ministry said.
As of last month, diesel prices, even after weighted consideration, stood at NT$28.31 per liter, which did not meet the price-hiking standard of NT$29.6 per liter, it said.
Average prices have met standards this month, and should operators file for subsidies, the ministry would make the announcement next month, Highway Bureau Director-General Lin Fu-shan (林福山) said.
If the subsidies start next month and continue through December, the total subsidies would stand at NT$120 million, Lin said.
When asked whether taxis would receive gasoline subsidies, Chen said that subsidies for other public transportation, including taxis, were still being discussed.
If approved, based on previous models — NT$5 per liter in subsidies — the government is looking at NT$190 million per month and about NT$1.5 billion from next month through December, he said.
When asked whether domestic public transportation would maintain a freeze on ticket prices, Chen said the freeze was part of the Executive Yuan directives.
The ministry said it estimates that the total funds needed to cover the costs of maintaining a freeze on ticket prices would amount to NT$8.5 billion, and that it would ask CPC Taiwan to pay out of pocket first before reimbursing it through future budgets.
NATIONAL SECURITY: Authorities are working to confirm the identities of the military personnel involved and investigating possible illegal conduct and regulatory violations Authorities are probing possible national security implications after Kinmen police and immigration officers on Sunday found a Chinese woman allegedly posing as a tourist while engaging in prostitution involving more than 10 military personnel. The woman, surnamed Chen (陳), has since been deported, authorities said, adding that investigators are still working to confirm the identities of those implicated, as the records only listed code names and aliases. The case stemmed from a report received by the Kinmen District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday last week from the Jinhu Precinct of the Kinmen County Police Bureau. On Sunday, police, along with the National Immigration
GLOBALGIVING: ‘ Caving to external pressure is not acceptable for an organization that has cultivated justice reform and human rights for 30 years,’ one NGO said A slew of non-government organizations (NGOs) have withdrawn from the GlobalGiving fundraising platform after it announced it would use “Chinese Taipei” instead of “Taiwan” from next month. The Taiwan Good Rice Association wrote on Facebook on Friday that it was informed on April 28 via a teleconference call of the change, which was made because the platform wanted to operate in China. Taiwan Good Rice is to terminate all cooperative relationships with GlobalGiving in response to the platform’s “unilateral and non-negotiable” decision to remove references to Taiwan, the NGO said. “Taiwan is in the official name of Taiwan Good Rice Association and the
HEAVY WEATHER: Typhoon Jangmi is due to crash straight into the Ryukyus as airlines look to shift flights to larger aircraft or cancel flights to Okinawa entirely Taiwan’s international air carriers announced flight adjustments over the weekend as Typhoon Jangmi is forecast to hit the Ryukyu Islands today and tomorrow. The Central Weather Administration (CWA) upgraded Jangmi from a tropical storm to a typhoon at 8am yesterday, with the eye located 580km south of Naha city. It was moving north at 19kph. Today, China Airlines’ CI-120, CI-121, CI-122 and CI-123 flights between Taoyuan and Naha, Okinawa, have been canceled as well as CI-132 and CI-133 between Kaohsiung and Naha. EVA Air’s BR-112, BR-113, BR-186 and BR-185 flights between Taoyuan and Naha are also canceled. Low-cost carrier Tigerair Taiwan canceled IT-230,
MULTIPRONGED APPROACH: China has sought to pressure Palau across a number of fronts, but the island nation has staunchly resisted overtures to ditch Taiwan Palau has been firm in backing Taiwan despite Chinese pressure that uses tourism economics, cyberattacks and criminal infiltration as tools to threaten the Pacific ally into renouncing its recognition of Taiwan as a sovereign state. The Presidential Office yesterday announced that Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) would visit Palau from Saturday to Wednesday next week at the invitation of Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr. Whipps in April said in an interview that China had outspokenly asked Palau to “denounce Taiwan.” “And we have said: ‘We have no enemies, but nobody tells us who our friends are,’” he said. Whipps has told reporters multiple times
RSS